


Hostage

by ellay_gee



Series: Whumptober 2018 [18]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Poor Prompto Argentum, Whump, Whumptober, but figured the tag kind of appropriate, customer shaming, depictions of violence aren't THAT graphic, if you've worked at subway read this fic, mentions of excessive mayo usage, you will feel the pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-04 07:46:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16342700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellay_gee/pseuds/ellay_gee
Summary: Prompto really shouldn't have taken that extra shift.





	Hostage

**Author's Note:**

> it's sorta late, i knowwwwww. im so tired, guys. fell asleep like 14 times at my computer. this is only half beta'd, so i apologize to everyone in advance.

Noctis groaned and rolled over, patting the bed next to him in search of his phone. He was just on the edge of sleep when it had begun to ring. Had it been anyone else but Prompto’s jaunty tone, they probably would have gone ignored.

“Prommmm, it’s late A F,” he grumbled into the receiver.

“Uh, P-prince Noctis?” An unsure and decidedly un-Prompto voice squeaked on the other line.

The raven-haired man sat straight up. “Who is this and why do you have Prompto’s phone?!”

The voice on the line let out several shuddering breaths before replying. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what else to do, I—“

In the background, Prompto screamed.

“We gave them all the money,” she cried, “but they want more! They want—“

Prompto screamed again.

 

* * *

 

**_One hour earlier._ **

Prompto should not have taken the extra shift at the Subs & Such that night.

He was tired and hungry and frankly, the customers were getting to him…but he needed the money. So, here he was, closing the sub shop on a perfectly good Friday night.

“Aaarghhh, I’m so tired!” His closing partner Clara said as she started spraying the tables with cleaner. Glancing at the clock, she let out another frustrated groan. “Tonight sucks.”

“You’re telling me!” He grumbled as he started pulling the meat bins out of the cold compartment. “If one more person had asked me for more olives on their sandwich, I would have quit.”

Clara grinned at him as she moved on to the next table. Affecting a high pitched nasally whine, she intimated: “Dear. Dear! Can you give me _middle_ ring tomatoes? I don’t want the ends. And the pickles can’t touch the bread!”

Prompto snorted, grabbing the container of sauces and shaking it at her. “I can’t believe we went through nine bottles of mayo in one shift! _Nine_.”

Clara shrugged, “People are gross, Prompto. What can I tell you? I mean, I can’t stand the thought of eating a sandwich that _oozes_ when I bite into it, but that’s me.”

Prompto shook his head and shuffled into the back, lugging several stacked containers with him. When he circled back around, he was blinded by headlights shining in the front window. “Dammit, you’d think they’d get that we’re closed, what with the neon signs all turned off.”

“I’m sure they’ll get the point when they try the door. I’m going to clean the bathrooms; you got the garbage?”

“Yeah!” Prompto called as he snagged the keys and wheeled two big bins to the back door. He backed out, pulling first one, then the other can out after him. He was halfway to the dumpster that the Subs & Such shared with Leviathan Laundry and Alterations when it happened.

Three men rushed from the dark side road that ran next to the plaza. Two ran toward him, and the other went to the back door. On instinct, Prompto grabbed the top trash bag from one of the bins while simultaneously kicking the other one towards his potential assailants. The can crashed into the shorter one on the left, and he swung the bag into the face of the taller one on the right, dodging his flailing grasp as the man toppled to the side.

The man he’d downed with the can struggled back to his feet and lunged toward Prompto again. The boy ducked out of his grasp and backed away. Unfortunately, the other one had recovered and was now behind him. He heard the blow before it landed-sudden whistling next to his ear-but was too slow to react to the butt of the pistol slamming into his temple.

 

* * *

 

Ignis braced himself in his seat as Noctis whipped around another corner. Luckily for them, this area of town wasn’t particularly busy at this time of night, and they were making record time.

“Noctis, we’ll do no good to Prompto if we die on the way.” The adviser hissed from between clenched teeth.

“You didn’t hear him, Iggy.’ Noctis barely braked as he rounded another bend. Ahead of them, the darkened windows of the Subs & Such loomed ominously in the distance.

“What did they say they wanted? You know the Crown’s policy on negotiating with--”

“Fuck the policy, they have Prompto! I’ll give them every dime in my bank account if I have to.” Noctis narrowed his eyes as he roared into the parking lot.

“But that’s not what they want, is it?” Gladiolus grumbled from the back seat as he pushed open the door.

“No,” Noctis sighed, staring at the dark windows.

“What exactly did you promise them, Noctis?”

The prince did not answer.

 

* * *

 

When the world righted itself, Prompto found himself tied to one of the straight-back chairs from the lobby. The two goons who had taken him down had made themselves at home on the prep table.

He tugged at his bonds, craning his head around wildly. “Clara?! Clara are you ok?” He called, struggling harder.

The shorter of the two goons hopped off the counter and backhanded Prompto across the mouth. “Shut the fuck up, kid!”

“Where is she?! What did you do with her?!” Prompto kicked out at the man as he approached again, earning another smack for his troubles.

“Prompto, calm down, I’m right here.” Clara sauntered out of the manager’s office with the third man close behind.

“Wh-what’s going on?” He jerked against his restraints again, giving a glare to everyone in the room.

“Oh, Prompto, you’re so adorable.” Clara smiled wolfishly at him.

The ringleader draped his arm around her shoulders. “Yeah, babe. He’s _adorable_.”

She brandished his phone at him, waving it in his face. “I’ve got a call to make.” She jutted her chin out at the two other goons. “Be prepared to make him scream.”

 

* * *

 

The door was unlocked when they tried it, and they each filed in one by one. None of them attempted to walk through the door into the Employee Only area, and instead walked up to the register.

They were met on the other side by a tall smarmy looking man with short hair and bland clothes, who was holding the arm of the girl Prompto often worked with...Cora Something...no, Clara. She did not seem particularly frightened, but he shoved those thoughts away.

“Where’s Prompto?” Noctis elbowed his way to the front, shoving Gladio out of his way.

“He’s right back there--" the man nodded to some unseen party, and Prompto's scream sounded out from behind the partition. “D-don’t give them anything, Noct! I’m not worth it!”

There was a sudden shuffling and Prompto cried out again, more brokenly this time.

“Hurt him again none of you leave here alive.” Noctis’s voice carried a chill that shook the whole room. The man across from him swallowed hard, tightening his grip on the girl's arm ever so slightly. 

"Give us what we want, and we'll be on our way."

Noctis glared at the man, but he hesitated no longer and began pulling spell bombs out of the armiger. He lined them up on the counter between him and the girl, who passed them off to the man behind her. He, in turn, handed them off to someone they were unable to see beyond the partition.

“There, fifteen Thundagas. Now let Prompto and the girl go.”

The man smiled at him. “Pleasure doing business with you! But, we still need a little insurance to get out of town, so we’ll be taking them both with us. Don’t worry, we’ll drop them off on the side of the road somewhere, let them wander their way home.”

He didn't wait for a reply; he simply steered the girl to the back, and walked away.

Noctis waited only half a heartbeat before tossing a stopcast bomb in behind them. He nodded to his adviser and shield, and they all three jumped the counter.

Behind the partition, they found all four people frozen in place; the shortest man holding the back door open, the taller standing over Prompto, gripping his mangled fingers in one hand, and a pair of pliers in the other. Clara and the ringleader were caught mid-stride behind them, both looking confident and grinning ear to ear.

Noctis and Ignis set to work prying Prompto out of the goon’s grasp, careful of his damaged fingers, while Gladiolus delighted in collecting the criminals one by one. The spell would only last about ten minutes, but that was more than enough time.

 

* * *

 

Luckily, they used a curative on Prompto in time to fully heal his injuries. The blonde watched in pained fascination as the fingernails that had been ripped off grew back, and couldn't help but test out his jaw once the pain had receded.

He quickly confirmed that Clara was a co-conspirator in the crime, and was unable to look at her as the police carted her off. 

"Do you know what they wanted with all the spell bombs?" The sergeant leading the investigation asked as they all stood outside of Noctis's car.

But Prompto shook his head. "Nothing good, I imagine, but they didn't say anything to me."

He nodded, closing his notebook. "Well, you're free to go, now. We appreciate your cooperation, and will contact you if we have any further questions."

After they loaded into the car and were well on their way to Noctis's, Prompto cleared his throat. "Uhm, not that I don't appreciate it, but--"

"Don't even start." Noctis nearly growled. "Prompto, you're like the most important person in the world to me. I would do anything for you. Anything."

"But--"

" _No."_

"Noctis, listen--"

"Prompto, you're fucking worth it."

The blonde pinkened at the words; at the intense gaze that Noctis fixed him with; at the warmth that grew in his chest at those words.

"Ok. If you say so." 

Noctis grinned at him, eyes twinkling. "I do."

"...thanks, Noct."

"Anytime, Prom."


End file.
